Proposals to make Ohio a “right-to-work” state appear to be headed nowhere in the General Assembly, but an area lawmaker believes residents still need to know that “that legislation is out there.”

“People should know there are lawmakers in Columbus promoting that kind of public policy,” said state Sen. Lou Gentile, D-Steubenville, who opposes the idea.

This week, state Reps. Kristina Roegner and Ron Maag, both Republicans, introduced bills that would prohibit any requirements that employees join or pay dues to any employee organization.

Roegner’s bill would apply to private-sector unions, while Maag’s would apply to public-sector unions — the same entities targeted in a sweeping collective-bargaining overhaul, Senate Bill 5, that was rejected by more than 60 percent of Ohio voters in 2011.

On Wednesday, GOP Senate President Keith Faber issued a statement indicating he didn’t believe the proposals had either the support or the interest within his caucus to move forward.

Indiana and Michigan are right-to-work states. Michigan’s law went into effect on March 28.

Gentile said he is concerned that if Ohio followed suit, it would put the middle class at risk.

“We’ve made great strides to improve the quality of life for the middle class,” he said. Enactment of the bills “would rank us with some of the poorer states in the nation, that have lower wages and sub-par working conditions.”

The fact that the measure was be introduced shows that the days of centrist, moderate politicians are gone, he said. “We’re seeing a lot of people who have good policy intentions being pushed out by people on the fringe.”

State Rep. Andy Thompson, R-Marietta, who, like Gentile, represents Harrison and Carroll counties in Columbus, has a different view. He supports both measures.

“It’s an issue of fundamental freedom,” he said.

He noted that his wife, Jade, a Spanish teacher at Marietta High, belongs to a union, the Ohio Education Association, but doesn’t want to be in one. He said she doesn’t feel she receives much benefit from her membership and doesn’t like where the money from her dues go. In 2010, that money went into mailers opposing Thompson’s candidacy.

Thompson said there is a “strong contingent” in both the House and Senate that supports making Ohio a right-to-work state. “It’s an issue that has overwhelming support in Ohio,” he said, pointing to a Columbus Dispatch poll that showed 65 percent of Ohioans favor it.

The right-to-work provisions in Senate Bill 5 were popular, he added.

“We’ll see how the process plays out,” he said.

State Sen. Tim Schaffer, R-Lancaster, who represents Tuscarawas and Coshocton counties, said he hadn’t seen the wording in the bills, so he did not want to comment.

Page 2 of 2 -
But he added, “I’m a free-market guy. It concerns me that Michigan has gone right-to-work. Competing with Kentucky and Indiana has been tough enough. They’ve been very aggressive in trying to lure away our businesses.”

Right-to-work is an attractive policy for industries looking for a place to locate, he said.

“Ohio’s economy has been going well,” Schaffer said. “We’re an oasis in the Midwest, and we need to stay that way. If Michigan begins to eclipse us, using right-to-work in attracting employers, then we will have to talk about it.”

State Rep. Al Landis, R-Dover, would not comment on the proposals because he said he hadn’t seen the language or had a chance to talk to the sponsors.

Kendra Rothrock, a fifth-grade teacher at Claymont Intermediate School in Dennison and president of Claymont’s teachers union, wasn’t surprised that the legislation had been introduced.

“After Michigan succumbed to right to work, I knew it would be coming our way,” she said.

“My view is that this legislation is very similar — if not worse than — Senate Bill 5, which the voters overwhelmingly rejected,” she said.

Teachers, firefighters and police officers are proud of the job they do, Rothrock said. “We’re honored to help and serve the people. But we also believe in the right to organize and are opposed to taking away that right.”

She said she knows that the public sometimes has a negative perception of unions. But she added that for teachers, “We know why we do what we do. We love the kids. We do a lot of things people don’t see.

“We feel that workers are entitled to organize and express our voice, the same voice we urge our kids in the classroom to have.”